‘She’s My Heart, She’s My Rock’: Staley Explains Departure

Duce Staley spoke with Carolina Panthers reporters.

The Detroit Lions have had to replace multiple members of their coaching staff in the early parts of the 2023 offseason. Among them has been Duce Staley, who departed the organization to join the Carolina Panthers’ staff under new head coach Frank Reich.

Staley was introduced with his new team in a press conference Thursday. He mentioned that the biggest factor in his decision to leave the Lions was the opportunity to be closer to his mother.

“She’s my heart, she’s my rock,” Staley said. “So, if I had an opportunity to come home, I said to myself for a long time, I would.”

When asked what excites him about his new team, he mentioned similarities between the Panthers and the Lions.

“I can tell you what excited me about the team -- it’s all about grit,” Staley said. “I just left a team in Detroit that’s all about grit. I see a bunch of hungry men, and I can’t wait to get out there with them and go to war with them. One of the things for me when it comes to coaching, there’s a couple of things: Number one, putting them in a position to make plays, that’s number one. Number two is getting them to run through a brick wall with me and not for me. Because I’m gonna be the first one to run through the brick wall. I’m gonna lead the charge.”

We’re not actors

Staley was a valued member of the staff with the Lions, but became nationally known during the team’s appearance on "Hard Knocks." During the show, he and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn were showcased as good friends who doubled as fierce competitors on the field.

Naturally, it was a difficult decision for Staley to leave the Lions' staff.

“A.G. and I are really close,” Staley told reporters Thursday. “Being able to play against him when I was in Philly, and he was with the Jets, not in the same division, but it was preseason and so we always played each other. One of the things we loved is competition, and we loved challenging each other. And, that’s what we did. None of that was fake, we’re not actors. Every day, that’s how we approached the game, and we challenged each other, no matter what it was.”

Former Lions coach suggests improvements

Marty Mornhinweg, who coached the Lions from 2001-02, penned a recent piece for The 33rd Team in which he suggested the team may be a few defensive improvements away from becoming a serious contender.

To improve the unit, he suggested the team make a move for a player like Los Angeles’ Jalen Ramsey.

"His presence alone vaults that defense up in the standings, which leads to more wins," Mornhinweg wrote.

Another element Detroit has working in its favor is its draft capital.

“They are also beautifully set up in the NFL Draft,” Mornhinweg writes. “They have five picks in the top 81 selections and two in the top 18. They have four picks in the first two rounds.”

Among the players Mornhinweg suggested for the team are Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., Devon Witherspoon from Illinois and Alabama’s Brian Branch.

Detroit’s former head man explained, “Stick any of those guys in on defense, and within the next one or two years, they’ll have one of the top defenses.

“You mix that hard work and preparation that already has been instilled with that third-ranked offense and a defense that has been infused with top-flight players, not only will it vault the Lions into a playoff berth, but it might, it just might, spur a Super Bowl run.”